Boiled Social Worker

January 13, 2012 permalink

British father Steven Bould was unhappy with the social workers who placed his baby daughter for adoption. Because of an earlier injury Bould had difficulty with speech, so he expressed his feelings by pouring boiling water over a social worker.

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Angry dad burned adoption worker

Friday, January 13, 2012

A YOUNG father threw a kettle of boiling water over a social worker, causing him horrific burns, after becoming upset at his daughter being put up for adoption.

Steven Bould was due to make arrangements for saying his final goodbye to the baby girl when he attacked John Orlowski during a family contact visit in Leek.

Steven Bould

Mr Orlowski suffered 20 per cent burns to his upper body, scalp, face and arms, and needed to spend time in a specialist burns unit.

Bould, aged 22, of Queens Drive, Leek, was yesterday sentenced to a total of 33 months in prison by a judge at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to the social worker on September 16, 2010, and a separate offence of attempted arson on his ex-partner's car while it was parked in St Edward Street, Leek, on May 29, 2010.

But as Bould has spent so long on remand, he was eligible for immediate release.

Prosecutor Heather Chamberlin said the "extremely unpleasant" attack on Mr Orlowski happened after he had arrived a few minutes late with the baby.

Bould left the room to go to the toilet and his sister put on the kettle to make tea. While Bould was out, Mr Orlowski broached the subject of arranging the final contact visit.

Mr Orlowski then heard the kettle click again. Suddenly, he became aware of somebody standing over him.

Miss Chamberlin said: "He described simply feeling heat and Bould shouting at him, 'Come on'.

"He got to his feet and made his way to the door. He pushed Bould out of the way and raised the alarm."

Mr Orlowski was rushed to hospital in immense pain. The court heard he has since made a remarkable physical recovery and returned to work with Staffordshire County Council, yet he is still haunted by the psychological effects of the attack.

Bould was arrested in Leek later that day, although he was unable to be interviewed because of his mental state.

The court was told how he had suffered a debilitating stroke as a teenager after being attacked by a gang of youths.

Jason Holt, mitigating, said: "He is all but mute, save for a few words and words that are said in heightened emotion."

Bould had become involved with another stroke victim and they had a child together before splitting up.

Social services became concerned and the baby was made the subject of a child protection order.

"Any issue of neglect was not intentional.

"It was the by-product of their disabilities," said Mr Holt.

Sentencing Bould yesterday, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "Mr Orlowski was serving the public in his role as a social worker and helping you in the contact you were having with your daughter.

"The prospect of your daughter being placed for adoption, and the likelihood you wouldn't see her again, would have been very emotional. But what you did was to use a weapon, the kettle full of boiling water to douse Mr Orlowski."

Source: Staffordshire Sentinel